The Original Mountain Marathon 2006
Youth and Experience Take the Honours
Rob Howard / 29.10.2006
There were some surprises in store for the staff manning the finish line and waiting for the first teams to arrive. That the top C class team came in first was no surprise, but it wasn’t the overnight leaders, or even a team from the top 3 on day one. That the next team in would be the B class winners was even more unexpected, and for the A class winners to follow not long after, beating their nearest rivals by 94 minutes was astonishing. Nothing should be taken for granted at the OMM.Douglas Tullie and John Rocke were the first over the line, winning the C class after starting in 4th place on the chasing start. The two GB orienteers, both 18, had a perfect day 2, and passed the overnight leaders Joe Mercer and Matthew Franklin approaching the tricky CP4. (They were suffering with an injury and limped in to eventually finish 22nd.) The two junior GB orienteers were in their first mountain marathon and Douglas said the longest he’d ever run before was 14km. Despite this and the rigours of the Galloway terrain they were comfortable winners, 23 minutes up on second place.
Two more young orienteers were soon crossing the line. Graham Gristwood (22) (another GB squad member), and Harold Wyber (21) raced in to claim the B class title, and they too were in their first mountain marathon. They joked it was a good result for ‘Essex and Surrey boys’ and said they’d run within themselves on day one. “Conditions were difficult and it was tough, so we were conservative as we were not sure how we would feel after such a long run on this terrain.� Graham added, “There was much more route choice today which made it interesting.�
Behind them the mixed pair Jo Inge and Wendy Fjellstad took 3rd, moving up a class very successfully after winning the C class last year. In 4th were the Parent and Child class entry Peter and Hector Haines.
The A Class win by Neil Northrop and Matthew Crane was the most convincing of the day. They extended their day one lead to win by an amazing 90 minutes and at the prize giving Steve Willis shook their hands and said, “It’s the Elite for you next year!�
Both are also in the GB orienteering squad, so it was a good day for orienteering, showing a surprising strength in endurance racing.See All Event Posts
